A Ringwood man was found guilty of conspiracy to transport cocaine from South America into New Jersey using his private jet business. He faces life in federal prison after being convicted on Thursday.

Khamraj Lall, 51, was found guilty in federal court in Trenton on eight counts linked to cocaine smuggling and money laundering following an eight-day trial. Federal prosecutors said Lall imported hundreds of kilograms of cocaine from South America to New Jersey from April 2011 to November 2014.

Lall’s private jet charter business, Exec Jet Club in Gainesville, Florida, served as the tool to covertly transport the drug into the country, U.S. Attorney’s Office authorities said in a Friday statement.

“Lall … used the proceeds of his cocaine empire to purchase jet planes, houses and cars. He also paid more than $2 million in cash stuffed in suitcases to a Florida contractor to build an airplane hangar in Guyana,” the statement continued.

Authorities said Lall’s smuggling operation started unraveling during a November 2014 refueling stop in Puerto Rico. A routine search of the plane discovered $620,000 in hidden cash, records show. Most was in a suitcase hidden in the tail of the plane. Another $150,000 in cash was hidden under a seat.

In July 2015, the reason behind the hidden money became clearer when authorities arrested Lall in connection with an alleged cocaine trafficking plot disrupted by the February 2015 arrest of nine other men – eight from Rochester, New York.

One of those men, Edward Mighty of Rochester, was sentenced to 25 years in prison for drug and firearm offenses including conspiracy to distribute 5 kilograms or more of cocaine in September 2017.

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Just days earlier, Lall was charged with importing at least 5 kilograms of cocaine on private jets in an August 2017 indictment from federal prosecutors. In that indictment, Lall was also accused of laundering proceeds in New Jersey and New York banks, smuggling cash and attempting to hide $7.5 million by using more than 20 bank accounts and multiple small deposits.

“In order to avoid detection and circumvent bank reporting laws, all 1,287 deposits were for amounts less than $10,000,” read the statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office New Jersey District.

By the time of his indictment, Lall owned Coventry Way home and properties in Hamptonburgh, New York; Citra, Florida and Kissimmee, Florida, records show. He also owned a Citation II jet, a Westwind I jet, a Lexus SUV, and more than $442,000 in cash.

Lall was held in federal custody following his 2015 arrest and in March 2016 was sentenced to a year in jail for smuggling money as prosecutors in New Jersey and New York worked to develop the money laundering and drug trafficking charges.

Lall was denied bail in 2015 but was released from federal custody on $1 million bail by putting up properties in late 2017. Records show Lall had to subject himself to electronic monitoring and travel restrictions, including the forfeiture of his pilot’s license as part of his bail agreement.

Taken collectively, the cocaine distribution, money laundering, structuring monetary instruments, and conspiracy to commit money laundering and structuring counts could result in a maximum prison term of 60 years plus a life sentence. A possible $10 million fine could also be levied on Lall, records show.

Lall was described on the Exec Jet Club website as a Guyanese businessman and aircraft pilot since 1994. Reports from news organizations in the country say government officials there are looking into the legitimacy of Lall’s South American holdings and have seized Lall's Guyanese hangar.

Prior to 2011, Lall owned and operated a trucking and warehouse company in Jersey City for 15 years. The Exec Jet Club website claimed he was also a freelance flight instructor at the nonexistent Ringwood Airport. Tim Wagner, the manager of the nearest public airport, Greenwood Lake Airport, said he had never heard of Lall.

According to law enforcement officials, the street value for a kilogram (2.2 pounds) of cocaine varies based on location and quality but can run between $27,000 and $38,000.

Lall's East Orange attorney, Michael D’Alessio Jr., could not be immediately reached for comment.